Bitter Frost
by Sandclaw
Summary: Every journey has its outcomes. Nekotalia; Warrior Cats AU.


**A/N: I'm sosososo horrible with stories- you don't even know.**

**So I decided to do what I'm best at; write with something I'm comfortable with. I, along with several other friends, roleplay Nekotalia on a Warriors forum (alongside our Clan cats, of course iofajowijoiajfw).**

**I love SuFin.**

**I roleplay Tino.**

**My awesome friend, Pebble, roleplays Berwald.**

**AND THEN THIS HAPPENED. It's based off a roleplay, so it likely will be updated.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Hetalia or Warriors.**

* * *

><p>The saying 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained' certainly was true.<p>

At least, that was how it seemed for Tino- the young, once-kittypet feline that had traveled over to England from Finland, ending up in a house in a rather lively neighborhood with lots of other cats.

He'd traveled a long way, seen so much, been in unimaginable situations-

But maybe we should just start from the beginning..

Ice crunched under mid-weight paws as a small cat padded along the sidewalk, humming a little tune. It had been snowing for over a week now, the freezing powder sticking to every surface possible. The little tom-cat stopped for a moment, surveying the area around him.

The town was to his left, its many buildings and twoleg monsters rushing up and down the roads both thrilling and frightening. To his right was a tranquil park, empty aside for two or three children who decided to play in the snow- and they were on the other side of the lake, so it didn't really matter.

Flicking his ears forward, the feline headed toward the park. He stepped off of the sidewalk and onto the grass (even though there was no indication of the change underpaw, considering that the ground was covered with at least a foot of snow), his tail twitching complacently. Violet eyes closed peacefully as he continued forward, nodding in rhythm to the song that he was still humming.

"Ah!" the cat exclaimed suddenly as he stumbled over a rock that was jutting out of the snow, rolling the rest of the way down the hill.

"Ouch.." he muttered, gingerly placing a white paw to his cheek and rubbing it gently. His eyes snapped open as he felt the ground shake beneath him, and he instantly dug his claws into the surface to keep himself from falling over again.

Suddenly, a large, gray head appeared from out of the snow. The small tom yelped in surprise, jumping away when he realized that he hadn't been latching onto the ice-covered ground; he had been latching onto a cat.

"I'm so sorry!" the tan-and-white cat meowed quickly, watching as the other feline climbed all the way out of the snow. He nearly doubled over when he saw the sheer size of him- and his _face_! The smaller couldn't help but shiver nervously. "I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I was just walking, and I fell.. onto you, I guess.. I'm so sorry!" He was shaking like a leaf now, scared out of his wits. What if this cat was angry with him?

The gray-furred feline stared at him, his blue-green eyes set in a default glare that sent shivers down the Finnish tom's spine. After a moment- a _long_ moment- he spoke. "Y'u hurt?"

The smaller of the two stared back, feeling somewhat awkward and relieved at the same time. So this cat _wasn't_ going to kill him? _Thank goodness_... "No, I'm fine!" he answered quickly, shaking his head. "What about you? I mean, I kind of landed on top of you.."

"'m okay." the new cat answered, shaking out his fur to get some of the snow off. He sniffed the air, turning to look at the small cat with narrowed eyes. "Y'u a house-c't?"

"

Yes, I am." he replied, flicking his tail happily. He examined the thin scarf tied around the large tom's neck, tilting his head curiously. Besides the color and style, it was very similar to his own. "What about you?" Cats didn't just _acquire_ those kinds of things- and they certainly couldn't tie them.

"No. I l'ft m' home 'bout f've moons ago. 'Nother cat." The big feline answered simply, shaking his head. He slowly stood up, still staring at the smaller cat with his intense gaze.

"A- Ah..." he gasped, looking the cat over completely. This guy was _huge_! Well, at least compared to himself. And his face.. "O- Oh.. I'm sorry to hear that." _Think of a topic, think of a topic..._ "What's your name?"

" 'm Berwald." he responded gruffly, brushing past the smaller cat to pick up the hot-dog chain that had been misplaced when he had been buried in the snow after the.. tumble. "Y'u?"

"My name's Tino," Tino replied, still shaking. He could feel his paws going numb under the sheer intensity of Berwald's stare.

"S'... You l'st?" Berwald nodded to the top of the hill, examining the path left in the snow where Tino had slid down. "N't many 'wners allow the'r cat t' be out l'ng."

"No, I actually just came outside a few minutes ago. My owners don't really mind.." At least, he _hoped_ they didn't mind.

The large, blue-grey tom blinked, the swish of his narrow tail being the only sign that he had heard him.

"Th'n b' caref'l. 'wners don't like it wh'n the'r c'ts get hurt or d'rty." Tino knew that the larger cat must have been talking from experience, so he nodded politely. His paw's were covered with snow and a little dirt, which he hadn't noticed until just then.

….Silence.

Tino blinked, looking at his paws. "Yeah, I suppose that is true." he mused, lifting one forepaw to lick it clean. The second he tasted mud, he reconsidered, making a face and putting his paw back down. Instead, the small cat dabbed his paws in the lake and scrubbed them quickly, taking them out only when the dirt was off. The Finnish tom looked at Berwald nervously, not satisfied with the awkward silence. "So.."

"Mmm?" The great tom tipped his head slightly, getting back to his paws again. Glaring blue-green orbs locked with gentle violet ones for a long moment, causing Tino to shake again. "Y'u sure y'ur okay?"

Berwald's stare made him feel considerably more uncomfortable. He screamed mentally, feeling the fur on his spine stand on end. _Sky cats! It's as if he's staring into my soul!_ He thought, fighting to keep calm.

"A- ah.. Yes, I.. I'm sure!" he responded cheerfully, trying to avoid the larger cat's piercing gaze.

Berwald leaned back so that he wasn't hovering over Tino any more. "...'k. Y'u h'ngry?" He gestured with a still partially snow-covered paw toward where he had dragged the chain of hotdogs earlier, nodding toward them.

Tino bit back a sigh of relief, happy that that the gray feline was no longer looming over him. He pulled his white-furred ears back slightly, shuffling his paws. "Ah.. A little bit. But I don't want to intrude." the little cat confessed, biting his tongue. Would Berwald get offended, or...? _But.. he doesn't seem like the type.._

Berwald studied Tino for a moment before grabbing the hot dog-train and setting it before the other tom. "H're." He meowed gruffly once he placed it in front of Tino. "Eat 's much 's y'u want." He was probably far more hungry than the kittypet, but that didn't register at all to him at the moment.

Tino glanced at the strung-together pieces of meat, swallowing nervously. He'd actually offered food to him; how could he refuse without seeming even ruder?

"Okay," he laughed, sounding as bright as possible as he bent down and took an experimental bite out of one of the pieces of meat. His violet-blue eyes widened in surprise. "Wow, this is really good!"

Berwald let the smallest smile show on his face, never once looking from Tino as he tried the meat. "H'lp yo'rself." He nodded and pulled one hot dog from the link, leaving the rest for Tino. Ignoring his snow-covered fur, he bent down to eat, removing his gaze from Tino as he closed his eyes.

Tino finished off the first link, smiling contentedly. His fur pricked with slight unease when he still felt Berwald's gaze on him, and he glanced up from the meal to look at the larger tom. He sighed, slightly relieved to see that he had looked away.

The tan-and-white cat sat up after he had finished the second hot dog, stretching happily. He turned to Berwald, a happy smile showing on his muzzle. "Thank you for the food~."

Berwald had settled down after finishing his one hot dog, tucking his paws under him as he stared up at the sky. The sun was slowly starting to go down. When Tino spoke, he glanced at the smaller cat, ears pointing forward. "Hmm? Y'ur welc'me." He nodded very slightly and yawned. Sitting up to scratch his ear briefly, he turned to Tino. "Wh'n y'u gotta ret'rn t' housef'lk?"

Tino tilted his head to look at the sky as well, noting that it was starting to get late. The time seem to have flown by. "About now, I think." he said brightly, getting to his paws. _How strange._ he thought solemnly, flicking one ear. He seems so forgiving. _I pretty much buried him in the snow, and he doesn't even seem to care._

The Finnish tom stretched, glancing in the direction of his home. His owners probably wouldn't be happy about him going home with a dirty pelt.. _I'll clean up on the way over. _

Berwald nodded and got to his paws, turning his head toward Tino, "I'll t'ke y'u home. J'st l'd t' way." He gestured slightly to the hill, meaning for Tino to go ahead. The smaller of the two wondered why he felt so obligated to escort him home. It wasn't like he really deserved it. At _all_.

"You don't have to. I mean, I really don't want to put you through any more." he tried to reason, taking a step towards the hill. Berwald had already put up with being pushed into the snow, along with feeding Tino. It was beginning to feel like the small cat was imposing.

Berwald shrugged and blinked, his eyes half-lidded. "G'ttin' dark." He said as an explanation. "Bad th'ngs out. No tr'ble."

Figuring it was a lost cause, Tino thought that it was better if he just went along with it. "I guess you're right," he murmured thoughtfully, beginning to make his way up the hill. He had a feeling that, with Berwald seeming to lack converational skills, this trip would be rather awkward.

Berwald nodded slightly and followed Tino right up the hill. When he reached the top, he lifted his head to it's full height. "Which w'y?" He asked, his voice lowered as he didn't want to disturb any of the twolegs still roaming the park at full sun-down.

Tino blinked, turning to face Berwald. "Ah, left." he answered promptly, turning to face the left side of the path that lead down to his home.

Berwald's peltwas buffeted by the small leaf-fall winds. "Y'ur housef'lk." He suddenly meowed, flicking his ears to the side, "They n'ce?"

He had run from his home after an annoying younger cat came along; Mathias or something, and ever since he had not come into direct contact with Twolegs. But Tino seemed well cared for.

Tino glanced over his shoulder, the question throwing him a little off guard.

"Yeah, they're really nice. They aren't home that often during the day, though." The smaller cat gestured in the general direction of the nest, nodding for emphasis. Most days, his housefolk would wake up rather early, refill Tino's food and water bowls, and then head out. They normally wouldn't come back until dusk, so he had plenty of time to go outside when they were away.

"Th'ts good..." Berwald responded, taking the lead briefly while they exited the park and crossed the first street. Thankfully, not many twolegs were around at this time. He paused when a lone car passed by, glancing at Tino. They padded along, outlined by the sun as it descended.

"Here we are," Tino said, nodding as they stopped at the driveway. Berwald stopped a few paces behind him, staring up at the house.

"'wners 're pr'bl'y lookin' f'r y'u." He glanced down at Tino, not taking another step forward.

Tino sighed as he looked at the light that was coming from the house, wondering with little remorse whether he had stayed out too late. He took a step forward and then turned to Berwald, feeling a bit guilty.

"Why don't you come in?" he suggested, both happy to offer and a little nervous. "Like I said, my housefolk are reasonable. And I guess it beats staying outside at night." He gave the larger tom a nervous smile, his fur fluffing up in the cold.

Berwald didn't respond at first, instead pulling his ears back self-consciously. "... No th'nks. 'm a str'y. D'rty. Y'ur housef'lk m'ght n't like m'.." He glanced from the violet-eyed cat to the house.

Tino shook his head, suddenly feeling bad. "No, no! I promise, they're nice. I don't think they'd turn you down. E-especially if it was just for one evening." The tan-furred tom felt inclined to stick with his offer, no matter how frightening Berwald was.

Berwald threw a look over his shoulder, still appearing uneasy. Then, letting out a barely audible sigh, he nodded and got to his paws. "Lead th' w'y."

"Okay!" Tino meowed happily, racing up the driveway. He stopped at the door, chancing a look inside the window. He saw one of his housefolk look outside, sigh, and then turn off the bedroom light. "They're going to sleep," he stated, turning to nod at Berwald before slipping through the cat door.

"Th'nk y'ur housef'lk saw m'?"

"I don't really think it makes a difference,"

They both padded into the living room, Tino taking the lead as he hopped onto the couch. Berwald followed behind, turning to look at his new companion expectantly.

"Go to sleep."

"'kay."

Tino curled up into a little ball, placing his tabby-striped tail over his nose and closing his eyes peacefully. The large tom hesitated for a moment before smoothing out a spot about a mouselength from the smaller cat, staring straight ahead for a moment.

Well, hadn't this been an eventful day..

The thought lingered in each of their minds for a moment before they both were lulled into the calm embrace of sleep.


End file.
